Elizabeth Boleyn
Elizabeth Boleyn is a character from the novels The Other Boleyn Girl and The Constant Princess . She is mother to Anne, Mary and George Boleyn, Wife of Thomas Boleyn and is the sister of Thomas Howard, duke of Norfolk. The Other Boleyn Girl Novel Elizabeth's first appearance is in the spring 1521 at execution of Henry Stafford. She is present for the execution returns to court shortly after his execution. While returning to court, Mary confides in her mother that she was shocked by the execution. Elizabeth scolds Mary and tells her not to be a fool and that there is little room at court for mistakes. The Other Boleyn Girl (2003) Elizabeth's role in the movie is a small one compared to his role in the novel. His first appearance is at the Boleyn family meeting about Mary becaming the King's mistress. Thomas' next appearance is at the family meeting about Anne's betrothal and bedding of Henry Percy . Here Elizabeth furiously berates her daughter's stupidity. They deicide to renounce the bethroal and banish Anne to Hever Castle. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) In the 2008 The Other Boleyn Girl movie, Elizabeth is played by Birtish actress Kristen Scott Thomas. Unlike in the novel and the other movie, Elizabeth's role is expanded and she is portrayed as a loving considerate mother who loathes how her children are being treated like pawns. The movie starts with Thomas and Elizabeth Boleyn strolling through the woodlands around Hever castle with their three young children. Thomas tells Elizabeth that the Carey family asked for Anne to be married to their son William but instead he chose gave them Mary. Thomas' reason for this is that he believes that Anne could "do much better than a merchant's son" and that Mary lacks the ambition to make a better match. Elizabeth thinks he underestimates Mary but agrees to the match. Years later, Mary marries William Carey and both parties seem happy with the match. At the wedding celebrations Elizabeth's brother Thomas Howard appears and they greet each other warmly before Thomas Howard takes Thomas Boleyn away to talk of important matters. Later that night Thomas reveals to Elizabeth that he and her brother have decided to encourage Anne to become King Henry VIII's mistress and that they have arranged for the king to stay at Hever. Elizabeth is displeased with these events and voices her opinions. Thomas tries to convince her that they need power and advancement and reminds her that (unlike him) she has always had titles and has never had to work to get a head. Elizabeth then reminds him that she was indeed privileged but she gave it up to be his wife because she loved him more. Despite her strong opinions, Thomas ignores her and proceeds with the plans. Soon the king arrives at Hever and is introduced to Anne. During a small feast, Anne is placed besides the king under Thomas Howard's and Thomas Boleyn's supervision. Elizabeth watches the scene in silent disappointment and later that night she watches again as her husband gives Anne encouragement for catching the king's eye. The next day the guests and courtiers go for a hunt and Anne leads the hunt eager to please the king. Norfolk, Elizabeth, Mary and thomas wait anxiously as the hunt goes on longer than expected. During the hunt the king fell from his horse and was injured causing alarm for the Boleyn family. Personality In the book, Elizabeth is depicted as being a cold and hardhearted woman, who rarely shows affection to her children and sees no ill is using them as pawns to further her family's plans for power and wealth. She is ambitious and seems to care only for power. She is unsympathetic towards Mary's distress over having her son taken away and cannot seem to understand why she is so upset at the prospect of having her child raised by strangers, indicating that in some ways, Elizabeth was a product of her time. However, she also coldly ignores Anne after one of her babies is born deformed and basically washes her hands of her after the king rejects her, viewing her as a failure who has brought their family to ruin. In contrast, in the film adaption, Elizabeth is portrayed as being a loving mother, who views blind ambition as being a sin and is disgusted that her children are being used to advance her family, regardless of their personal feelings and desires. She is wary of how quickly the king's moods can change and attempts to warn her husband of the dangers of playing the game of the court. Elizabeth is distraught when Anne and George are arrested for treason, blaming her husband and brother and disowning them both. She is also fond of her granddaughter, Elizabeth, whilst in the book, she was ambivalent towards her due to the child being 'only' a girl. Relationships jjj Historical Figure jjj Quotes jj Trivia jjj Category:Tudor Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Characters Category:Historical figures Category:Howard family members